Tuesday, August 18, 2009

This needs to be analyzed. There needs to be a team of MIT grads studying Brett Favre daily. 24 hours a day men and women in the top of their field need to watch Favre and his everyday movements. He needs to be examined because honestly what is going on in the sports world with No. 4 does not make any logical sense.

It's beyond obnoxious and annoying. It's sick. It's disturbing.

For the past 5 years after the Super Bowl has ended the headline story revolves around Favre and the possibility of him retiring. It went on to the point that we all knew he would be hanging it up soon. The Great Green Bay Packer would cry his eyes out and go off into the Mississippi sunset only to be sparely seen as an analyst on ESPN.

This is how retirement goes. You push it off for years and then boom! it happens. You need to stop playing. Your body can not take it anymore. You thank all who have helped you along the way and you hang it up. It's what everyone has done. Emmitt Smith, Steve Young and Steve McNair are some recent retirees who followed this path.

But Favre was different. Something psychological took place in him. First in the winter of 2008 he retired. He officially hung his cleats up. He cried his eyes out and he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with an article that glorified his terrific career.

But then he came back. Said he still wanted to play. After months of chaos between Favre and the Packers (Favre did not want to have to compete for the starting job with Aaron Rodger), Favre signed with the New York Jets. And No. 4 was again back in the league.

The Jets season went well and they looked like they were heading to the postseason. Whether it was a lack of focus or Favre's sporadic play, New York gagged and missed the postseason. Criticisms about the quarterback came out of the Jets locker room and shortly after the season Brett Favre again, for the second straight year, officially retired.

Then it happened again. Almost like a joke. The Man Who Can't Retire resurfaced as being interested in coming back to the NFL, specifically the Minnesota Vikings. Rumors begin to float around that one of Favre's reasons for going to Minnesota was to stick it to current Green Bay Packers' general manager Ted Thompson twice a year. So we the general public were lead to believe that Favre was going to come back to the Vikings soon. The months dragged on and the speculation only intensified. Message boards exploded with daily topics about the subject.

Then in late July, Favre announced he was done. He was really done this time. No more games. He made quotes that his body could not take the toll of a full NFL season. The issue was over. Favre was not coming back.

Then like clockwork it happened again, Favre was still interested in coming back to the NFL. Reports came out that Favre was going to sign with the Vikings. A couple of Minnesota players were positive Favre was going to sign very soon. And he did. A two year contract worth 25 million dollars.

I feel like I just survived a nuclear bomb blast. I am walking around the city seeing the debris and not knowing what is up and what is down. Favre's antics are inconceivable. It's more than a man still wanting to play the game. It's a guy who can not make up his mind. Period. I want to understand this. I want to understand why Favre thinks their should be no hard feelings because he now going to be playing for the Minnesota Vikings. I want to understand how a man can play this retirement game for so long. Again this is not normal. This is completely new breed we are all unfamiliar with. Maybe Favre was always this psychological, disturbing, indecisive guy.

But through it all is there anything that can could happen next with Favre that would surprise you? Would you be surprised if Favre said, "I don't want to play anymore for Minnesota?" No. Would you be surprised if Favre got a serious injury mid season, said he was done and then in the summer of 2010 reports came out that the Buffalo Bills where talking with him? No.

As confused as I am, I can not imagine what is going on in the hearts of the Green Bay Packer faithful. Here is a man who was the face of their franchise for 16 years and in the end he goes to the Minnesota Vikings to some degree to "stick it to Ted Thompson."